Thursday, 12 December 2013

Change in my mindset.

Yesterday, I had a pretty awful day full of bad luck. First off, on my drive to work my windshield got a beating after it was hit with a huge rock thrown by a semi. This annoyed me but I didn't think too much about it. When I got closer to the city, all of a sudden my car started jolting erratically and a light was blinking on my dash. I started to panic a little bit but it stopped right away, so I figured I would keep driving. Not even 10 minutes later, everything on my dashboard quit working. Including my lights, radio, speedometer, and fuel gauge. At this point, I started to panic and fully expected my car to die right there in the middle of the highway. My car was still running however, so I kept on going. Not wanting to be late to work. On the back road leading to my workplace, there was a bunch of deer running on the road so I honked my horn and magically everything started working on my car again except my headlights. I didn't know what the heck was going on but I called my dad and he told me to get home before it was dark that night and he would take a look at it, it is probably just a wiring or fuse issue. This whole situation really just put me in a bad mood and made me frustrated with my stupid car. I literally have had nothing but issues with my Ford Focus. I bought it hoping it would be reliable and cheap on gas. I guarantee my dad and I have collectively spent more fixing that car than it's actually worth. So annoying!

However, last night when I got home from work around 5 p.m. I decided to sit down for a bit and indulge in a hugeeee glass of wine. After thoroughly enjoying this glass of wine and having some supper, I started to feel a bit better. I realized that everyone has bad days, but the most important part is reacting appropriately to said frustration. In the past, I would of stopped and grabbed some chocolate or chips and went home and drank the whole bottle of wine and felt sorry for myself. Last night however, I had my glass of wine, turned on some upbeat music, and got on the treadmill to run 3 miles. I know it's cliche but I felt a million times better after I completed that workout. It is amazing to me still that I am capable of running for any length of time. Sure, 3 miles may not be that far for some people but for me that is a huge deal. I never used to be able to run for a 1/4 of a mile.

When it comes down to it, every experience in life is shaped by your attitude and perspective on things. If you chose to feel sorry for yourself and be frustrated by your lack of progress, then you will not succeed. Optimism really does go a long way. Set out in day believing that you are capable of your goals and you will do great things.

Lately, I have been increasing my water consumption, really watching what I eat, and working out 5-6 days per week. I am starting to look forward to my Jillian Michael's workouts or my longer jogs on the treadmill. I am proud of how far I have come. Even if I haven't lost any weight, I know I have lost inches and I feel a lot better about myself. For the past 3+ years, I kind of let myself go. I made excuses, I always said "I will start tomorrow", and I always looked in the mirror and felt less than satisfied with my body. It's easy to make excuses but it's sooo worth it to see improvements in your body, to push yourself to new limits, and to really just live your life to the fullest. Take time today and work towards what is important to you. Be proud of yourself.